The Crackle Plays: ‘Revision’ - Stan Forebee

Hailing from Netherlands, but currently residing in Australia, Stan Forebee’s entire life has been dedicated music. Speaking on his Reddit AMA he said this: ‘(Music) came as a natural thing to me. I have always wanted to create my own stuff. My father used to teach me piano when I was 4 and I started writing my own music when I was 14. The Hip Hop/Jazz thing always felt like a very special thing!’ Starting out with Chillhop Records, Forebee continues to be a stalwart of the beat community. ‘Revision’ is his latest release with Komorebi Records but how does it fit into this storied producer’s catalogue?

At its core ‘Revision’ is an album of mixes and blends. A gumbo of style, technique and sound. There’s a blurred line between samples, synthesis and everything in between. This takes tremendous skill to pull off in an artistically meaningful way and Forebee manages it beautifully. The whole project typifies the producer’s individual sound. The drums bounce under lush melodics that are sculpted impeccably. Take standout piece,‘Mirrors’. On this track a soft but rich piano line dances over solid drums with interesting percussion elements. The tone is full and feels like a sample but the balance is maintained so that actually it’s impossible to differentiate.

Heightening this gumbo style is the way ‘Revision’ presents us a seamless mix of tracks. The album is a continuous flow of the songs. The beats have no gaps and the ride is gorgeous. This is a truly gapless album. The blends are well executed and considered. Forebee takes time at the end of each track to properly, and beautifully, introduce and transition to the next beat. Some gapless albums simply echo out or keep the transitions brief but this project treats the mix between beats as an element of the song. The album is totally intertwined with the mix and thats a beautiful thing.

On another level however, this seamless blend also extends to the erudite way Forebee transitions between themes and emotions. The journey between the bounce of ‘Moon at Noon’ to ‘Mischief Mood’ to ‘Future’ is especially sublime. Each track on the album sets the scene for its story then gracefully bows out for the next tale. Jumping between themes like this is no mean feat, but to do so while also providing a gapless mix is amazing.

This seamlessness is even more impressive considering ‘Revision’ was a collection of beats from other projects. Speaking on this, Forebee said: ‘Revision is a collection of songs that never saw the light of day at the time they were made. Every song was made for a purpose and was made in a different period of my career. The opening track ‘Revision’ was heavily inspired by the group Hocus Pocus when I was younger, ‘Blaze One’ was meant for a well known rapper in the Netherlands. ‘Mirrors’ was initially made as a bonus track on ‘Jazz Sessions’. ‘Allemande’ was made in 2 hours for a beat challenge a few months ago. ‘Noon', ‘Mischief Mood’, ‘Future’ and ‘La Nuit’ were made at a synthy-8bit-inspired period under my former alias Beatsofreen.’

‘Revision’ is a gorgeous example of the melting pot that is music. The sonics are blended beautifully with an ambiguous production process that makes it impossible to differentiate between sample and synthesis. The album flows like water. Changing form but constantly going with the flow. This is a hard technique to pull off and Forebee takes the time to give each transition the respect it deserves. The fact that the project is made up of odds and ends from across Forebee’s career makes this flow even more impressive. ‘Revision’ is an exquisite exploration of how magic the right blend can be.